Dr. Troy and Dr. McNamara

Okay, I absolutely LOVE Nip/Tuck. It is a weird, pretty dark, trashy kind of show and I love it. I never thought I would be living it....

Okay, so not really with Dr. Troy or Dr. McNamara but with Dr. PlasticSurgeon. And no- it's not for me. (although....while I'm there....joking)

Friday night I am running on my treadmill with my ipod and watching tv with closed captions. About 1/2 way through my run I hear the blood curdling scream of my 18 month old behind me. After my heart jumps out of my chest and I get the treadmill stopped I turn around and scoop him up to see him holding out his left hand and SCREAMING at the top of his lungs. I am thinking "Where in the heck did you come from!??". When we both start to breath again I can see the giant gash on his left middle finger. So, I wash, put neosporin and attempt to put ice on his finger. I give him motrin and rock him for the next 2 hours. Saturday we wake up and he seems to be using it okay, but man does it look painful. He does not cry but occasionally holds it out and says "uh-oh". When I try to wash it again and apply more neosporin we find out that, in fact, his lungs are still working great and his finger still hurts.

Sunday I take him to church and the nursery attendant comes to get me saying his finger is bleeding. I look at it again and decide, that's it- we're going to a minor emergency place.

Dr. PediatricMinorEmergency is very nice. He reassures me (at the sight of my tears) that it was not my fault and that kids just do these crazy things sometimes. He applies more antibiotic, gives us an oral antibiotic, re-bandages it and then says "You definitely need to get him an appointment with a plastics dr. ASAP- no later than Wednesday." Slight panic in my heart, but okay. He says "Just to make sure as it heals there is not too much contraction." Okay, I relax a little. I have worked with many OTs in my career and know a slight bit about hands, so this makes sense.

Now at the Dr. PediatricMinorEmergency visit I had both of the other kids with me without my husband. My older son happily waited in the waiting room. My daughter insisted on going back with us, but begs to let her out when they start cleaning his wound. Not being an octopus, I have no free hands to take her out to the waiting room and tell her to sit on the chair in the corner we'll be done in a minute (as I continue to hold down my SCREAMING child with us both crying). As we get in the car to leave I am already feeling SO overwhelmed, my daughter vomits. I think she has inherited her mother's queasiness for hospitals.

Monday morning I call 4 plastic surgeon offices to be told that they are booked at least 1 month out. (Seriously, can we postpone a tummy tuck consult for my baby's open wound finger!!??) I keep thinking...where are Dr's Troy/McNamara- they would see me no matter what! The 5th phone call was a charm. I found a fantastic plastics Dr. who happens to also be a hand specialist. He was a former director of plastics at our major local trauma hospital for many years. He says no problem- they will work me in today.

I get to the office (alone with only the patient- no siblings this time) and sweet baby of mine sits in a fancy waiting room chair and I pull the few toys I brought with me - this obviously is not a child frequented Dr. office. He sits up in his chair so big. I chuckle filling out the forms ...patient name, etc....patient occupation....Toddler...Patient hobbies....getting out as many toys as possible, climbing on anything...eating cookies...drinking milk...Okay...back to serious.

Bottom line- my baby has a 3rd degree mechanical burn requiring a skin graft. They are going to take the tissue from his groin area and attach it to his finger. This will happen at crack of dawn Friday and until then his father and I get the pleasure of wound care (also known as you hold him while he screams bloody murder and I'll apply the direct torture). Ugh...I'm not sure who cries more when we do this- he or I?

I will either be gray haired by the weekend or in need of AA. I am already exhausted and can't believe it's only Monday. I am thankful it is only a finger and that this can be somewhat repaired. He is so brave too. As we left the torture visit today he waves bye-bye to all the nurses (who are just eating him up) even the ones who did his wound care. He is way too precious and I am so lucky he has such a happy disposition.